


Regular Fairytale of a Night(s)

by Weevilo707



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Basically, Chef Taako, Cinderella Elements, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mutual Pining, Prince Kravitz, Secret Identity, What's the opposite of a slow burn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:26:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29477670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weevilo707/pseuds/Weevilo707
Summary: Kravitz had never been a big fan of the galas and balls that came with being the prince. That was why his mother had suggested a masquerade one day, so that he might have a chance to enjoy himself without everyone knowing who he was. He supposed that in the end it had worked, he could not remember the last time he had so muchfun.There was just one problem.No one knew who he was, but he didn't know who that man in the mongoose mask had been either. All he knew was that he was completely and entirely in love with him, and he needed to see him again.
Relationships: Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 109
Kudos: 229





	1. Chapter 1

“Could I perhaps ask you something? I don’t want to be rude, I’ve just been beyond curious all night,” Kravitz said, and he genuinely could not remember the last time he enjoyed himself so much. It was a little frustrating if he was being honest.

He just wasn’t a fan of their typical galas and balls. Everyone trying to vie for his attention, having to put on a show all night, knowing that he couldn’t trust anything someone said as a genuine compliment or desire to get to know him. It was all a careful dance for power.

His mother had suggested the masquerade idea, just to give him a night where he could have some fun and not have to worry about all those things. He really hadn’t thought it would work, that people would be able to sense it was him or something. There was certainly a lot of talk about where the prince was all night, but Kravitz really wasn’t paying much mind to it.

Sure, the accent was a little silly, but most people seemed to have no idea it was him under all the feathers and gems. His current companion seemed none the wiser, at least.

“Shoot, can’t promise I’ll answer though,” he said, and Kravitz could just make out a wink through the eye hole of the rather peculiar mask he wore.

“Fair enough,” he said, smiling despite himself. “I was just wondering what exactly is your mask?” he asked, and the other man laughed. It was a louder laugh than was typically considered polite at these things, and Kravitz noticed several people look their way. He found he didn’t much care though. “I just, I can’t tell if it’s a weasel or a rat or, well whatever it is it’s certainly cute,” he added quickly.

“Mongoose my man,” his companion said confidently. Kravitz raised an eyebrow at that, but it probably remained unseen under his own mask.

“Certainly a unique choice. Why did you go with a mongoose?” he asked, because it was simply interesting. This man was so interesting, Kravitz couldn’t remember the last time he talked to someone for so long, and he wasn’t anywhere near bored.

“They have specialized acetylcholine receptors that make them impervious to venom,” he answered breezily, which wasn’t the answer Kravitz expected. “Very surprisingly dangerous, they’re known for killing snakes,” he continued.

“What about birds?” Kravitz asked, the other man pausing for a moment as he gave him a look over, clearly taking in the black feathered mask of his before chuckling.

“I don’t think you gotta worry your pretty little head there babe,” he said, and Kravitz was thankful for the mask in an all new way now. No one could see his embarrassment. Before he could think of some way to respond his companion was changing the subject. “So, you ever been to one of these shindigs before?” he asked. Kravitz chuckled a bit as he nodded.

“A few, yes. And you?” he asked, and it felt a little like cheating, but he’d been trying to place the man all night. Certainly if they’d met before he would have remembered someone like him, but there were so many people at these things, and Kravitz was a bit of a recluse.

“No, first time actually. Was kind of hoping to meet the prince,” he said, and Kravitz was trying to remember if there was anyone of note they had invited this time. He had not been paying attention to the guest list though, he never did.

“Oh, I doubt anyone’ll see him. From what I hear he’s not much of a fan of these big parties,” he said, hoping it came off as casual. His new friend didn’t seem suspicious, shrugging without much care.

“I guess I can get that. I mean to be fair, when I came to this thing I expected to do a lot more dancing than walking around a garden,” he said, and they had been out in the garden for a while. Most of the night, if he was being honest. “Can’t say I’m complaining though,” he added. His voice sounded genuine, and taking a deep breath Kravitz steeled his nerves.

“Would you care for a dance?” he managed to get up the courage to ask, holding out a hand. The other man seemed surprised, glancing down at his hand for a moment before nodding and taking it. The music was quieter out here, but they could still hear it just fine.

“Sure, wouldn’t mind knocking another thing off the ol’ bucket list,” he said, moving in closer. Kravitz fell into leading with ease, and it was honestly a little funny as his companion tried to follow. He was clumsier than expected, but it didn’t take too long for them to get into a rhythm. Slower than Kravitz was used to to compensate, but yeah he certainly couldn’t complain.

They kept talking as they danced, and Kravitz had no idea how long they kept like that for. He did know that he was gripped with the desire to pull up this endlessly intriguing man’s strange adorable mask just enough to be able to kiss him more times than he would care to admit.

The clock charmed for midnight, and he was very disappointed when the man in his arms pulled away.

“Shit, is it that late already? I should… probably be heading out,” he said, and Kravitz wasn’t able to hide his disappointment at that.

“These tend to go well into two or three in the morning. Perhaps you could stay another hour?” he offered. The man looked conflicted before eventually shaking his head.

“Nah, I’d love to, but I’ve got a shift in the morning. It’s already gonna be hell waking up after all this,” he said, and Kravitz cocked his head to the side curiously at that.

“A shift?” he asked, and ask soon as the question left him the other man froze. He could see his eyes go wide inside the mask, an obviously caught red handed look on his face.

“Y-yeah, that’ll just be our little secret, alright babe?” he asked, trying to sound confident but not quite managing to capture the same ease as before. Kravitz probably would have brushed it off, but from that reaction, combined with so many other little idiosyncrasies from the night that did nothing but charm him, one thing was obvious.

Whoever this was, he wasn’t supposed to be here.

“I really should head out,” he continued, and Kravitz wanted to keep protesting. The words got stuck in his throat when suddenly this man closed the distance between them again. He couldn’t see when his mask was pushed up just enough to expose his lips, but he didn’t hesitate to respond when the stranger gave him an all too short kiss.

“But thanks, it was, ya know, a regular fucking fairytale of a night,” he said once he pulled away.

“Wait-” he tried, but his companion was already dashing off between some of the large bushes and topiaries. He went after him, because he had to get his name. There was no way Kravitz would be able to find him again if he lost him now, not if he wasn’t even on any official guest list.

Whoever he was though, he was fast.

And apparently sneaky. None of the guards reported seeing a man in a mongoose mask leaving through the front exits. 

It didn’t make any sense. It was strange and inscrutable and utterly fascinating.

And Kravitz was utterly in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this first chapter might look familiar to you if you follow my tumblr, because I had posted it there about a week ago. I decided to go full steam ahead and turn it into a full fic, so I've actually posted up the first two chapters together. I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Kravitz knew he did not seem in the best mood. Considering the fact that he had enjoyed the night so very much more than usual it was probably a bit strange, but that was just it.

Last night had been  _ perfect. _ He could not remember the last time he had enjoyed himself so much, and he had never met someone as fascinating and intelligent and  _ funny _ as that man.

The man who’s name he still didn’t know. Who Kravitz had never even seen his face, and who he wouldn’t even be able to find on one of the guest lists because he had snuck into the ball uninvited.

He sighed heavily again, poking at the absolutely delicious smelling breakfast in front of him. It was a shame that he couldn’t even bring himself to properly enjoy it, the chef had really outdone himself this time.

“Oh dear, and here I thought last night had managed to alleviate some of your gloom. I would say that it’s only gone and made it worse.”

Kravitz jolted some at the sudden voice, not having heard her come in. He quickly stood up, trying to recover and mask at least some of his forlorn lovesickness. Not that it seemed it would do much good now.

“Good morning, mother. I’m afraid I’m not sure what you’re talking about, everything’s fine,” he tried to insist, not surprised at all by the unimpressed look she gave him as she headed towards the table. He sat back down, actually starting to eat his breakfast instead of continuing to pick at it. If nothing else, it was hard not to appreciate the absolutely delectable food.

“In that case, who was that man you spent so long talking to last night? The one with the rather unique mask?” she asked, and the questions were asked oh so casually but Kravitz knew she knew exactly what she was doing. He also knew that there really wasn’t any hope for him to keep any of this a secret from her, or at least not the big things.

Despite that, instead of answering in words he whined and let his head fall flat down onto the table. It didn’t seem to perturb his mother in the slightest, who simply hummed thoughtfully at his actions.

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more specific than that dear. I’m not sure if I should be preparing for a wedding or preparing a jail cell,” she said. It was blunt and dry but Kravitz knew when his mother was joking. That didn’t make him any less embarrassed, feeling all the blood and heat rush to his cheeks as his head shot up.

“That’s not- neither! There is nothing to prepare, I assure you,” he said, his voice dipping from indignant back down to melancholy much too fast. He shoved a few more bites of food into his mouth, wondering if he finished fast enough to could excuse himself before they got too deep into the topic. He knew his mother wouldn’t let a topic like this go though, not while it was still actively bothering him.

“Then there should be no harm in telling your mother just exactly who it was that actually managed to get you to enjoy yourself for once,” she said. It was fair, and Kravitz slumped a little onto the table, really not using his best table manners this morning.

“I did not get his name before he left,” he said with a sigh, maybe mumbling more than he needed to. His mother managed to hear him well enough though, raising an eyebrow with a fresh look of understanding.

“Ah, I see. A simple problem to fix my dear, the guards took note of everyone entering the palace under their masks. His was most unusual as well, it will be no issue to track,” she said, and Kravitz had already thought of that. He’d thought of that before the night had even been over, in case he hadn’t managed to work up the nerve to ask his name. He wished it had just been that simple.

“I’m afraid I’ve already asked all of the guards,” he said, not meeting her eyes. Despite that and even though she hid it well, he could see the confusion in his mother’s face at that.

“Oh? Not pleased with the answer?” she asked, and this was the part he’d been dreading. The part he was honestly hoping he would have a bit more time to think about before actually discussing with her. It wasn’t that he’d think she’d disapprove on principal alone. She’d always been nothing but supportive, and if he told her in all honesty that he’d fallen for someone without a shred of royal standing or prestige, he was sure she would be accepting.

He just wasn’t sure if that would extend to someone who, by all accounts, had  _ actively _ broken into the palace.

He knew she would find out eventually, and better she hear from him than a guard.

“There wasn’t one, unfortunately. None of our guards had seen a man in a mongoose mask enter or leave the ball last night,” he said, and yeah, there was definitely some concern there. “He’s not still here! Don’t worry, I made sure they checked, but yes. I’m uh, rather sure whoever he was, he had not been on any official guest list,” he added.

He couldn’t blame his mother for being silent for a few agonizingly long moments. As she ate her breakfast Kravitz tried to figure out if there was a way to word ‘but I really really  _ like him’  _ that didn’t make him sound like a complete child, especially after only one night.

“And this hasn’t dissuaded your fondness for your mysterious new friend at all?” she asked finally. There was no judgment in her tone, no real lean one way or the other in all honesty. He was pretty well aware that was the best he could hope for given the circumstances. Better than he should have, in all honesty.

“I’m not sure if the gods themselves could sway me. I’ve never met someone so…  _ enchanting _ ,” he said with a sigh. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for chuckling too much at that. He was being ridiculous, but there was no other way to word it.

“I suppose I should not be surprised. You have always been a hopeless romantic,” she said, pausing to take a sip of her drink, “and contrary,” she added. Kravitz sputtered in offense at that.

“When have I ever been- he started to ask, before thinking better of it and quickly cutting himself off. “Nevermind, it’s irrelevant. What am I supposed to do? It’s down right cruel. He comes in here only to steal my heart without a care, not even leaving me with a name or a single glimpse of his face. The chance of me ever seeing him again are near none,” he bemoaned instead. Maybe he was being a bit dramatic, but if any situation called for dramatics it was surely this one.

“We could put out a call, if your heart is so set already,” his mother offered, but Kravitz shook his head.

“No, it’s- every person who felt they could act the part would show up, and there’s… I’m not even sure if  _ he _ would,” he said. The man had been so obviously skittish when he let slip that he wasn’t from noble standing, and he hadn’t even known who Kravitz was then. If he put out a bulletin saying the  _ prince _ was searching for him? He might think it just a trap.

“I’m afraid this is quite the difficult situation your heart had gotten you into then dear,” his mother said after a moment. Kravitz sighed, because that was a very concise way to put it.

Finishing up his breakfast, Kravitz made sure to thank the waiter who came to clean up the dishes.

“Please, compliments to the chef. He continues to outdo himself,” he said, both because it was true and Kravitz always wanted his employees to know just how valued they were. Kravitz hadn’t gotten much of a chance to speak with the new head chef yet, or actually meet him at all. Despite that he’d certainly made an impact with his food.

“I need to get going dear, I will leave you to your brooding,” his mother said, standing up from the table. Kravitz huffed defensively at that.

“I’m not-” he started to object, quickly realizing it was doing nothing to make him look better. “I will let you know if I manage to think of a solution,” he said instead. Well, a solution other than pining forever for a man he’d known for barely a few hours, but he did not voice that thought. That was a bit too much like brooding.

He really did spend quite a bit of time afterwards trying to think of some way to see him again. He went over every piece of that night, trying to figure out some clue that would lead him to just a  _ chance _ of getting to meet again. They had spoken about so much, but well, they had both been rather cagey about anything that would give away a definite identity. And it wasn’t-

Kravitz didn’t want to just  _ hunt _ him down. Even if he could have found a name from one of the guards, showing up at his home as the prince of his nation? Kravitz wasn’t dense enough not to realize the kind of pressure that would put on a person. Even if he was certain that the feelings from that night had been mutual ( _ he _ had kissed  _ him) _ the last thing he wanted was for him to feel like he didn’t have any choice.

A month passed, and he was no closer to a solution. He only had one idea, and it was a bit of a shot in the dark.

“Mother, I think I might have found a solution to well, that problem of the heart I’ve been dealing with,” he said one night. She perked up at that, although somehow she did not seem all that surprised.

“Have you? Thank the stars, watching you walk around here the picture of heartache was becoming rather depressing,” she said. Kravitz felt his face heat up at that, but he supposed her teasing was a good thing. It meant she wasn’t upset that he was still completely hopeless for someone that had managed to sneak into their home and leave again without a trace.

“I will ignore that,” he said instead of complaining. “Anyway, it’s very simple and does not guarantee that I will see him again, but if he doesn’t show I will just have to accept that this wasn’t meant to be,” he said. His mother nodded at that, clearly listening with interest. Kravitz took a deep breath, unable to keep himself from feeling silly about this.

“Could we perhaps… have another masquerade ball?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah since I had already posted the first chapter to my tumblr I figured I'd put the second chapter up here at the same time as the first. This is partially due to the fact that I've had a stressful week ~~it's monday~~ and wanted to do something fun. I'm having a blast with this little story. The chapters will probably be a bit shorter than my usual stitch, but which everything the way it is that means i'll be able to update them more frequently. 
> 
> as always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Taako wasn’t sure what he was doing. Conceptually he knew, intellectually he understood the decision he was making. He just didn't understand it on a more personal level.

He was going to the palace to attend a gala.

_ Again. _

Sneaking into the palace to attend a fancy masquerade ball once was one thing, he was lucky as fuck that he hadn’t gotten caught. Even more lucky that the guy he’d spent the night with hadn’t ratted him out after he basically blew his cover that he wasn’t supposed to be there.

And sure, it had been a great night. Fucking perfect, in a lot of ways he wasn’t expecting. But he went into it with the knowledge that it was just going to be one night. Sure, that was before he went and met the man of his dreams in a bird mask, but that really didn’t change anything. He knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere, so no point in pining.

Except then he heard about the palace holding  _ another _ masquerade. It was barely a month after the first one, and Taako wondered if these things happened so often normally. It was possible that he only noticed now that he was fucking working in the palace. It was certainly hard to ignore when he was preparing all the hor d'oeuvres for the event. 

It was stupid, and risky, and he didn’t even know what he was expecting to get out of it, but despite all of that Taako was currently hidden in the big walk in freezer. He was moving fast, partially to keep from getting caught, partially because it was cold as fuck in here.

Taking a last deep breath, he slipped the mongoose mask on and snuck out of the kitchen.

The ballroom was filled with dozens of beautiful people in elaborate masks, talking and occasionally dancing. It was overwhelming, but not quite as much as it had been the first time.

Even still, there was a moment when he considered turning right back around and leaving without a word. This was a bad idea after all. Someone was sure to notice him this time. He had to be the only person wearing the exact same outfit after all, an event this fancy no one would be caught dead with the same thing as last time. Hell, he probably wouldn’t even be able to  _ find- _

“You came back!” a delighted and relieved and  _ familiar _ voice said, and despite himself a smile spread over Taako’s face as he turned towards it.

He was a little surprised to see that same elaborate shimmering black bird mask, but it wasn’t like he could judge.

“Oh, did you miss me?” he asked, tying to appear confident. Better to joke than to admit that yes, he was here and they both knew that he definitely wasn’t supposed to be.

“Only every moment since you last left my sight,” he said, so much sincerity in his voice that Taako could already feel his cheeks start to burn. Sure, he hadn't been able to get his mind off the guy since they met, but he thought they might ease into the whole meeting again thing. Apparently this fool was just as bad as he was though.

“Well then, why don’t we grab something off the snack table and find some place to catch up?” he offered, even though this was the opposite of a smart move. The beautiful and kind man in front of him looked delighted even with the mask though, so Taako couldn’t fault himself too much for that.

“Of course. You must try some of these, the new chef they have at the palace here must be some sort of miracle worker,” he said, leading Taako over to the tables, full of the food he’d spent so fucking long preparing. The prince and queen had given him the next few days off though, so that was nice at least. It was also very nice hearing a man who might as well have been perfect complimenting his food without even knowing it.

“Oh well, don’t mind if I do,” he said, and when that same man held out an arm for him, Taako took it. He was already here after all, he might as well enjoy himself some.

“So tell me, which is your favorite?” Taako asked as they looked over some of the fancy foods. He could see the man’s eyes through his masks, an unfairly beautiful brown that looked so deep in thought at the simple question.

“I would have to say these, but it’s such a hard choice,” he said, grabbing one that Taako honestly hadn’t expected. He had put it on with the others expecting it to not go over well, a fluffy biscuit with cinnamon and honey. Not the most refined taste for this sort of thing, but they were one of his favorites and he wanted to round out the options with something sweet and heavy as an offset.

Of  _ course _ it was his favorite.

“Sweet tooth huh?” he asked, unable to keep from smiling as he grabbed one and slipped it under the bottom of his mask. All the hor d'oeuvres were small to be able to eat without having to lift up their masks for the most part. “Good choice.”

“Guilty,” the man says, not actually sounding all that guilty. They grab some food and Taako follows him back out into the courtyard and surrounding gardens. It really is beautiful out here, and easier to find some place private. Considering everything going on right now, Taako could appreciate both things.

“So,” Taako said once they sat down on a beautifully carved stone bench surrounded by flowering plants. “You were hoping to see me again?”

“Hoping wouldn’t even begin to describe it,” he answered, still with more sincerity than Taako knew how to handle.

A part of him had been hoping that if he came back and met this guy again, some of the magic of the last time would wear off. That he’d realized he’d just been caught up in the spectacle of the moment, but when he got down to it there wasn’t anything special about this stranger.

But now he was here, and that wasn’t happening. If anything, it was getting worse, everything he said almost designed to get the butterflies in his stomach up and fluttering.

“You flatter me,” he managed, because clearly this man must know who he was. Or well, more specifically who he  _ wasn’t. _ There was no reason for him to be interested in a nobody like Taako.

“Flattery implies that it is not genuine. I can assure you I’ve longed to see you again every day since our last meeting,” he said, and the real strange part was Taako believed him. He didn’t think this was just some guy trying to get lucky, or even caught up in the allure of it all only to get bored later. Maybe he would be wrong, but he kind of hoped that he wouldn’t.

“Okay, but why?” he said, and maybe it was a little more blunt than most of these fancy folks were used to dealing with. From their meeting last time though, it seemed this prince charming didn’t mind that. “You should have realized just how… little you know about me, right?” he asked.

“I have,” he replied, not seeming very discouraged. “That is precisely why I wanted to see you again. I’d love to learn more about you, if you’d be willing to share it,” he said, actually taking Taako’s hand as he did. “Such as a name, for a start?” he asked, a small, sly grin on his face at that. It was a fair enough request, but Taako still found himself hesitating.

“I don’t know if we’re quite at names yet,” he said, and it wasn’t that he didn’t trust this guy. Maybe he shouldn’t, but he really didn’t think he would snitch on him for sneaking in like this. No, the problem was if someone else overheard, if it got back to the prince that his new cook had snuck into the ball twice to woo some probably pretty important dignitary.

Still, it was frustrating not being able to truly address each other.

“But you can call me Ko, if you want,” he offered instead.

“Ko?” the man asked, some amusement in his voice as Taako nodded.

“It’s a nickname, my sister calls me it all the time,” he assured, and he was even telling the truth. “So what about you then? You got a handle?” he asked, and when he did it seemed like this guy only at that moment realized it would be a two way street.

“Um, yes, of course,” he said, so awkward that it was actually adorable. “Mac,” he managed, clearly uncertain and even more clearly not his actual name.

“Mac?” he asked, getting a stiff nod in return. “As in, MacDermott? As in the name of the royal family currently throwing this little shindig we’re at right now?” he asked, ‘Mac’ coughing awkwardly into his hand and avoiding eye contact.

“I uh, I don’t see the connection?” he tried, and Taako couldn’t help laughing at that. For what was probably the hundredth time Taako wondered who this man actually was. Either he was very bad at names, or he had some connection to the royal family. Even a cousin would prove to be someone far, far outside the reality of a person Taako could ever  _ be _ with.

“Yeah alright, whatever you say Mac,” he said, bumping their shoulders together as he did. Mac laughed nervously, and Taako wondered if this could backfire just as badly for both of them. Well, probably would still be worse for Taako, but if this guy was truly genuine he could lose some pretty nice standing, getting involved with a commoner.

“Enough about that,” Mac said after a moment, taking a breath to steady himself and in the process putting an arm around Taako’s shoulders. “You mentioned a sister?” he asked, a curious tone to his voice. It was weird how Taako didn’t freeze up under his touch, instead leaning into his side. He was wearing a black feathered cloak that matched his mask and looked like a million dollars, and was surprisingly warm.

“Yeah, twin actually,” he said, and Taako really wasn’t sure how much he should let slip. Not much, if he was being smart.

“What’s that like? I’m a only child,” he asked, and Taako shrugged as he tried to think of some words to really describe it.

“Pretty damn cool if I’m being honest. We’ve always had each other, we’ve  _ only _ ever had each other. Also, pretty damn annoying, because she’s the worst,” he said, Mac chuckling against him.

“Sounds interesting,” he said, and Taako nodded.

Conversation ended up flowing naturally from there, and Taako guessed that wasn’t much of a surprise, considering their last meeting. Still, a part of Taako kind of hated how easily he could get lost in talking to this guy, drifting from topic to topic and slowly letting loose more and more.

Taako ended up talking about his cooking more than was probably safe for someone not wanting to give away their identify as the palace chef. From what he could tell though, his enchanting companion wasn’t putting two and two together, despite how enraptured he clearly was in everything Taako said.

On his end, Mac was pretty fucking adorable when Taako got him explaining why exactly he had a bird mask. Turned out the dude fucking loved birds, especially corvids. Taako could honestly sit there and watch the dude talk about how smart and clever they are and the ways they use tools and play for hours.

Taako might have been a little bit in love.

“I just- I don’t see what the big deal is. Is it- do you eat the cheese and chocolate together? Mixed?” Mac asked, a look of distaste on his face at the idea. Taako shook his head, because he wasn’t getting it.

“No, it’s a fondue fountain! I can’t believe this. All these fancy parties and you’ve never had a fondue fountain before. What’s even the point?” he asked, clearly aghast. Mac laughed, and that really was a sound Taako would never get tired of.

This was bad.

“Well, if you ask me, these parties are all a bit overrated,” he said, and Taako supposed that made sense for someone who had to come to them all the time. Hell, even he could see how they could get pretty old quick, especially if there wasn’t anyone there you were interested in talking to.

An idea came to Taako then, and it- well, it was a bad one. It certainly didn’t follow with the whole reason he had come here today, which was to get the guy out of his head so he could move on with his life without all these dumb fantasies.

He was already well and truly lost either way at this point. Might as well take a chance.

“In that case, you wanna maybe get out of here?” he asked. Mac’s head tilted to the side, giving him the appearance of a confused bird, which was too cute to be fair.

“What do you mean?” he asked, and Taako steeled his nerves as he stood up, holding a hand out for the other man to take in a way that felt very proper and royal.

“If you’re not a fan of these things, we could head out. Do something else. Have you ever really seen the city at night before?” he asked, and it should be hard to read someone’s emotions with an actual mask on, but his eyes were so expressive it was easy to see the debate there.

“Wouldn’t we uh, stand out a bit like this?” he asked, looking down at his own elaborate outfit. Which was fair, their clothes certainly stood out. Still, that was a pretty easy fix.

“What? You telling me a fancy guy like you doesn’t have a  _ change of clothes _ lying around?” he asked, and there was something real nice about how tempted this guy clearly was. Taako had been pretty sure before, but it was obvious now that they were both very much into this.

So it was real disappointing that nothing was going to come of it. He wasn’t thinking about that right now though.

“I suppose I could scrounge up something,” he said, his eyes glancing back down towards Taako’s hand, which was still held out towards him. Then he seemed to make some decision, nodding before reaching forward and taking his hand to pull himself up.

“Alright. I don’t see why not, just give me fifteen, er- twenty minutes. And I really should be back before morning,” he said. Taako couldn’t help smiling at that, and hey, it was a lot more than he expected to get if he was being honest.

“Sure thing babe. Twenty minutes, I’ll meet you behind the palace, alright?” he said, the man nodding. He looked giddy and nervous and it was too cute for Taako to bare. Closing his eyes, he lifted the man’s mask up just the slightest bit again in order to kiss him. It wasn’t as long as he would have liked, but maybe there would be time for that later.

“Uhuh,” Mac said, seeming a little dazed after the kiss. He managed to pull himself out of it quickly enough, nodding sharply. “Yes uh, see you in a moment,” he said, pulling away from Taako and heading back into the ballroom. Taako didn’t see where he was going, figuring he should focus on making his own escape. He guessed Mac must have a guest room in the palace for this or something. It would make sense for if any of the guests who traveled far or were close to the royal family might want to hang around for the night or two.

Slipping back into the kitchen, Taako quickly grabbed the bag of clothes he had hidden away before going to change in the freezer again. Taking the mask off, he pulled his hair out of its bun and twisted it into a braid instead, and he wondered if this was a smart thing he was doing.

Well, it wasn’t. Someone could recognize him. This wonderful, charming and funny asshole he was with could even recognize him.

But Taako really didn’t come out of the kitchen when he was at work. He hadn’t even met the prince yet, and it wasn’t like it was because the royal family didn’t care about their workers. They did, and he really fucking loved his job, but he wasn’t good at the whole people thing. Better to let his cooking do the talking rather than accidentally insult one of them and lose his dream job.

Despite that he still slunk out to the back of the palace, trying his best to appear composed as he waited along the large wall at the back of the palace.

Mac had said twenty minutes, and Taako had only taken about half of that time to actually get changed and get out here. He might have been rushing a bit, but he didn’t think anyone could blame him.

Now that he was here though, the time seemed to drag on and on. He didn’t have an exact watch or anything, so he didn’t know how long it was taking, but surely it shouldn’t be this long? Maybe he had decided against it. Maybe he came to his senses and realized that someone like Taako just wasn’t worth it.

“Ko?” a hesitant voice asked, and Taako practically jumped up from where he was slumped against the wall. He turned to make some clever comment, but the words died in his throat.

It wasn’t like he couldn’t tell that the man was gorgeous underneath the mask, but somehow he was still left stunned.

He was definitely the most handsome man Taako had ever seen, with long hair worn loose in braids that framed his face and shoulders. The ‘simple’ clothes he’d changed into still looked impeccably tailored, a red button up with black slacks and shoes so slick they shined in the streetlight. He was smiling nervously, an awestruck expression on his face as he looked over Taako.

Oh.

_ Fuck. _

Taako had it  _ bad. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm stuck in a hotel right now because texas is ya know, having a Time. I do not have a lot of writing energy because of everything but i have been able to write more of this silly little au with these dumb lovestruck boys, so here we are. 
> 
> as always, thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

Kravitz tried to move quickly, not wanting to keep Ko waiting as he got changed. His brain was going a million miles a minute and his heart had decided to start playing a very up-tempo song with its beating since the moment he saw him. There was a part of him still reeling from that.

He actually _came back._

Digging through his clothes, he managed to find something that might blend in well enough outside the palace. Plain black pants and a red button up shirt, which he would usually wear underneath an elaborate jacket, but the weather was nice outside and he was trying _not_ to draw attention.

Giving himself a quick look in the mirror, he decided to let his braids down from the carefully crafted bun they were in. He usually had his hair up in some way, so it wasn’t much of a disguise, but it was something. At the very least, his companion had claimed to have never met the prince before. Kravitz certainly couldn’t remember meeting someone as wonderful as him, so he might not recognize him. Not immediately anyway.

Taking a deep breath, he left his mask in his room and started to head out. There were a few side exits and secret passage out of the palace that most guests wouldn’t know about, and he was able to slip out through one of them without drawing any attention to himself. He wondered if Ko had done the same thing when he had left the first time, it would have made the most sense. He just wasn’t sure how he would have known about one of the side exits to get to it so quickly.

There were a number of ways, and he should probably be more concerned about that all than he was.

Getting around to the back of the palace, a part of him was afraid that his companion would have left. That he might have gotten scared, or decided he simply was not interested anymore and took the moment when he was distracted to escape.

So there was a huge swell of relief when he saw someone the same build and shade as the man in the mongoose mask waiting alone against the back wall of the castle. It was rather safe to say this was Ko, although he had changed out of the masquerade outfit as well. It was dim out back, but the edges of a street lamp still illuminated the man enough for Kravitz to see as he moved closer.

And _oh._

“Ko?” he called hesitantly, wanting to be absolutely certain he had the right person. His head whipped towards him and he jumped up at the sound of his voice, worry he hadn’t noticed there before replaced with a nervous smile.

“Hey there handsome. Took you long enough,” he said, and if Kravitz had any doubts before that was absolutely his voice. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that he wasn’t wearing a mask with that compliment, supposing he still had the darkness to thank for at least some cover.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting,” he apologized, moving closer. Looking him over for a moment, he hesitated before continuing. “It really isn’t fair though.”

“Oh, what’s not?” Ko asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“Doesn’t seem fair for you to already be so clever and charming, only to then show up looking like that on top of it all,” Kravitz said, the words spilling out before he could think about them too much. The bright blush that fell over the other man’s face was certainly worth his own embarrassment at being so upfront.

“That’s- I could say the same thing right back ya, my dude,” Ko managed, and it was a little easier to take the compliment when he was so clearly flustered. Kravitz decided to take pity on him, holding out an arm for Ko to take.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked, steadfast trying to ignore the pit of nerves in his stomach. He didn’t spend a lot of time outside of the palace, certainly not in such a casual manner. It was night though, and everyone would assume that the prince would be at the gala he was _supposed_ to be throwing, so it should be safe enough.

“Ya know, I didn’t think I’d actually get this far,” Ko said, taking his arm with a bit of a mystified look. “I figure we can just see where the night takes us,” he added, and Kravitz smiled at that.

“Sounds lovely,” he said, letting himself be lead away from the palace. Which, even that was something he wasn’t quite used to, not being the one to have to take charge. He certainly didn’t feel the need to argue though, especially when, despite his claim on not being sure of their next move, Ko was certainly leading them somewhere with a purpose.

And even if there wasn't a purpose, Kravitz quickly found himself enjoying every little aspect. They ended up in a late night market, moving from booth to booth and examining the wears. It was difficult for Kravitz not to buy every odd and end Ko expressed interest in, but he didn't want to overwhelm the man. He did insist on buying some food from a vendor that Ko swore he needed to try. His companion didn't seem to mind in the least though, and the food was so unlike anything Kravitz had had before. Sticky and fatty and disgusting in a way that left him wanting so much more.

“Oh hey, how adverse are you to getting a little dirty?” Ko asked as they rounded a corner, and Kravitz couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that.

“I wouldn’t immediately shoot down the possibility. Did you have something particular in mind?” he asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity. Ko’s grin widened as he started pulling him a bit faster to the other side of the street.

“So, I haven’t been here before, place just opened up recently. But I have heard it’s a pretty chill spot, and I get the feeling it’s not your typical hang out spot,” he explained, and Kravitz could see the specific building he was leading them to know. When he read the sign out front he couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s- I’m sorry, what is a ‘chug n’ squeeze’?” he asked, very aware of the stupid smile that was stuck on his face.

“It’s a wine and pottery place,” Ko explained, like that was an actual _thing._ “Ya know, cause you chug the wine and you squeeze the clay?” he added. Kravitz was certain that he mother would have words with him for sneaking out of the palace without telling her, during a ball he insisted on having no less.

Even if the night stopped here though, he was certain that the whole thing was worth it.

“Well, I do like wine,” he said, the other man taking that as the go ahead to drag them into the strange little establishment. Kravitz was aware that it was getting late, so he wasn’t too surprised that there weren’t many other customers inside currently. That was still a relief, even if he still hung in the back and let Ko do the talking of getting them a table and everything.

“This seems like a poor set up,” Kravitz said once they were seated. There was a lump of wet clay on the wheel in front of him, a glass of wine to the side that he could imagine wasn’t the easiest thing to hold with hands covered in mud.

“Yeah, I imagine the overhead on glasses is probably pretty steep,” Ko said, already getting started on his clay. Kravitz rolled up his sleeves, trying not to be too noticeable as he attempted to copy the other man’s motions.

“So,” Kravitz said after a moment, and his friend did seem quite a bit more relaxed now than he had been back at the palace. It hadn’t even been noticeable until they were out and about, but he supposed that made sense. If things were different (if Kravitz wasn’t head over heels for the man) he would be risking a lot sneaking into the palace twice. “Would it be alright if we spoke honestly here?” he asked, hoping that the request wasn’t off-putting. It was quieter in here than out in the market, and they would have to _talk_ about this at some point. To his relief Ko didn’t seem bothered by the request, barely looking up from his work on the lump of clay as he nodded.

“Yeah man, I mean, if we can’t be honest at the _chug n’ squeeze_ then where can we be, am I right?” he said, and it truly was unfair just how delightful and charming he was.

“I suppose you are,” he said, and Kravitz took a moment to figure out how to word exactly what it was he wanted to say. “Why did you return? I wasn’t sure that you would,” he asked finally, his voice quiet in the strange establishment with its soft music playing in the background. He hoped it wasn’t an unreasonable question. He had been rather justifiably worried that he wouldn’t take that chance to come back after all.

“Was just curious I suppose. Wanted to see if it would all feel as magical as the first time, or if I was just real drunk,” he said, and that certainly did seem to be an honest answer.

“Does it?” Kravitz asked, and he knew they weren’t at the ball anymore, but he could read behind the lines well enough that he was fairly certain Ko wasn’t talking about just that. He hoped he wasn’t talking about just that.

“I mean, yeah, obviously,” he said, sounding rather cross about the whole thing. It was such an odd juxtaposition that Kravitz couldn’t help chuckling a little.

“Well, it’s quite mutual, and I’ve been to dozens of these things,” he admitted, figuring it was obvious just how enamored he was with the other man. "Well, balls and such. Not quite to as many markets, but I can certainly say I'm fond of them now," he added. The other man smiled at that, looking down at the clay in front of him and pulling up some walls to create a vase-like structure with a surprising amount of skill. That smile became even more amused when he glanced over at the still misshapen lump on Kravitz’s wheel.

“Need some help there Mac?” he asked, and Kravitz chuckled sheepishly.

“I suppose clay isn’t my calling,” he said, not arguing at all when Ko moved closer, putting his hands over his to help guide him. It honestly didn’t seem to do that much good, especially considering how distracted Kravitz was getting, but eventually he managed to get a small, lopsided bowl out of it.

It was getting rather late by the time they headed out, the store setting up to close behind them. Despite how obviously unskilled the hand was that made it, Kravitz was quite proud of his little bowl. Ko’s own vase was much more sturdily made, betraying at least some talent in that regard. 

“What time do you suppose it is now?” Kravitz asked as they started making their way down the street. He would have to be back by morning, but he couldn’t bring himself to want to leave just yet. Ko shrugged, also not looking to be in any rush.

“Hell if I knoo-oh _shit,”_ he said, his tone changing sharply as he looked further down the street. On instinct Kravitz started to follow his gaze, but before he could see what it was he was staring at his companion grabbed his arm, yanking him into the alleyway they were passing.

“Wha-” he started to ask, but before he could get out the question the man was suddenly on him, warm mouth cutting off his words in a frantic kiss. Kravitz could recognize intellectually that this was, if not suspicious, at the very least concerning. That he should probably do something about it.

On the other hand, he didn’t particularly _want_ to stop it, per say.

When he finally did pull out of the kiss, Ko glanced over his shoulder back down the alley, like he was expecting someone to be standing there. Which, alright, he needed to get his brain out of that daze now because clearly something was going on.

“Ko?” he asked. The smile he received was one that was only playing at confident, similar to the one that he’d given him when he’d let slip that he was not supposed to be at the palace during that first ball.

“Would you perhaps believe that I was simply overcome with desire?” he asked, and even as befuddled and concerned as he was Kravitz couldn’t help but snort at that.

“No, but I do appreciate the attempt,” he said, and Ko pouted.

“Figured, you’re definitely a whole lot more than a pretty face,” he said, the casual, barely even registered compliment making Kravitz’s chest flutter. After a moment of debate Ko sighed. “I just… saw someone who would’ve recognized me. I didn’t want to ruin this by bringing reality into it,” he said, Kravitz feeling his heart sink with every word.

“I do,” he said, receiving a very confused look from the other man.

“You wanna ruin this?” he asked.

“What? No,” Kravitz said, quickly realizing the mistake and shaking his head. “I want this to be real. I- please, I need to know. Is this just some entertainment for you?” he asked, because he wasn’t going to let this night go without an answer. Maybe he was foolhardy to have fallen so fast, but he couldn’t believe that Ko didn’t feel the same way.

“Of course it’s not, but it’s- come on, you gotta know it’s more complicated than that. I’m the peasant here and even I know how this shit works,” he said, and it wasn’t like he was wrong. Still, Kravitz knew that he would regret it for the rest of his life if he let something as trivial as social standing stop him from pursuing this.

“It doesn’t have to matter though. It wouldn’t be the first time someone has had a relationship out of standing. I can assure you I would never let anyone target you for that,” he tried to reassure, cupping Ko’s face in his hand softly. The man sighed as he leaned into the touch, looking genuinely tempted.

“Okay, but that’s just one of the problems,” he still insisted.

“And what of the others?”

“You could do so much better than me,” Ko said. It would be laughable how wrong he was if it didn’t betray just how little he realized how incredible he was.

“Someone of higher standing, yes, but someone better? Perhaps it is the romantic in me but I can assure you I’ve had dozens of suitors, and more still who would hope to be. Never have I met anyone who’s come close to enrapturing me as you have. Who I find myself so _comfortable_ around, who actually has wit enough to make me laugh so readily,” Kravitz said, spilling his heart out because if not now then he may never get another chance. “That was why I hosted another masquerade so soon. I needed to see you again and I had no other way to invite you bac-”

His words were cut off when Ko pulled himself out of his arms, a look of realization and horror on his face.

“Hosted?” he asked, and it was only then that Kravitz realized just what he’d said. What _he_ had let slip this time.

“I- that is-” he tried to stutter out, heart sinking with every step back the other man took.

 _“You’re_ the prince?” he asked, and all Kravitz could do was nod.

“I’m sorry. I had every intention of telling you, I swear it,” he tried to insist, because it was true. He just didn’t want to scare him away, he didn’t want him to treat him any differently.

Reaching out towards Ko, his hand passed through air as the man he had fallen for so completely turned and ran.

Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i'm not gonna put a chapter count yet cause then I'll jinx myself immediately but I think we've probably only got one or two (or three...) more chapters left! i'm definitely having fun with this fic and also with this slightly more snappy, fast paced fic style. might see a bit more of them around here, just saying. 
> 
> as always, thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

Well.

Taako supposed that was the end of that.

At least he was mature enough to recognize that it had been his fuck up, every step of the way. He was the one who decided to sneak into the masquerade in the first place, and he definitely didn’t have to go back a second time. It was  _ his _ idea to lose the safety of their masks and have a fucking romantic night out on the town.

He was the one who made of point of always hiding in the kitchen and never going out to actually see his employers, so that he was the idiot who didn’t recognize the goddamn  _ prince  _ when he was talking to him.

The one good thing was that he managed to get out of there before the prince realized who  _ he _ was. Thank fuck Magnus and Merle hadn’t seen them, those two loud mouths would have immediately been all up in their business, and then nothing would have stayed a secret for long. Not that he was really in a better position now, because he couldn’t risk going back to the palace. Not after  _ that. _

Once he was certain he’d lost the prince (Kravitz was his name, unless he was mistaken) Taako headed straight back to his apartment. It was late, and he hoped it was late enough that everyone else would be asleep by the time he got back. So of course that wasn’t the case.

Lup looked up from where she was curled up in a chair, lazily reading a book. It looked casual, but it wouldn't have surprised him if she was waiting up to make sure he made it back alright. He barely spared her a glance before going and collapsing onto the couch, face first. For a moment it was quiet, and then he could hear her close her book and place it on the side table.

“A bust then? Your bird boy wasn’t there?” she asked, and in response Taako let out an incomprehensible groan. If only it was so easy as that. He would have been upset, sure, but if he hadn’t been there Taako could have rationalized it to himself. Tell himself it was just a ships passing in the night sort of thing. That he was probably a foreign dignitary and the chances of ever meeting him again were just too slim. Could convince himself that the guy had already forgotten about him and move on with his life.

But that wasn’t the case at all. He wasn’t far away and he didn’t forget about him and move on. No, instead the man had been just as fucking gone as Taako was since that night. Enough so that he’d held another ball (he should have  _ realized _ something was weird about that. It was too soon, royals didn’t do the same thing twice like that) just for the chance to get to see him again.

Even knowing that Taako was just some nobody, and he was the  _ goddamn prince. _

“Is that a vase?” Lup asked, knocking him out of his spiral of thoughts some. Even still Taako didn’t respond to that one either. He was going to have to hide that thing away somewhere so that he wouldn’t have to look at it and think about sitting and helping the goddamn prince make a shitty bowl and how cute and sweet and funny he was.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Lup continued when he didn’t make any move, and Taako let out an even higher pitched whine. He could hear her sigh before pushing herself up and walking over. He didn’t bother moving out of the way or making space on the couch, but he could still try and kick feebly at her when she sat down on his legs. Not that it did much.

“Okay, we gonna use our words? What’s going on?” she asked, and Taako was well aware that Lup could get this conversation out of him if she wanted to.  _ When _ she wanted to.

He also knew that she would let him stew for a little bit if he needed, so he just grumbled some more, rolling as much as he could so that his face was even more hidden. He didn’t have to look at Lup to know she was rolling her eyes at him and that he definitely deserved it. After a minute she seemed to get the message that tonight was not gonna be the night, and she pushed himself up from on top of him.

“Well, I’m here if you need to talk about it, alright bro?” she said, and he nodded as much as he could with his face shoved in the couch. He maybe felt a little bad when he heard her standing there for a few moments before finally turning and heading to her room, but he still needed some time to unpack all of that nonsense. He’d talk to Lup about it when it was all a little less raw.

Luckily, he didn’t have work the next day, the royal family giving him two days off after preparing another balls worth of food again so soon. So he was able to mope around and be a general bum for those two days. Lup left him alone for the most part during that time too, although he could tell the curiosity was killing her. It definitely wasn’t like him to get so hung up over a dude, so he could understand.

Then it was three days after the ball, and he was supposed to be back at work.

So he couldn’t blame Lup for that being her breaking point, when she came into the living room mid afternoon after having run out to grab groceries to see him still sitting on the couch.

“I thought you had work?” she asked, and Taako nodded, not looking up from the bowl of soup he was eating from slowly. Lup went and dropped the bags she was holding in the kitchen before coming back to inspect him.

“Are you sick?” she asked, reaching over and pressing a hand to his forehead without any sense of personal space. He huffed, putting his bowl down and knocking her away.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, although she didn’t seem very convinced. Which was fair, he certainly wasn’t acting fine. He was acting like an idiot.

“Did you at least call in?” she pressed, and Taako quickly avoided her gaze again. That was all the answer she needed. “Taako! Look, I know you’re going through it right now but you at least gotta let your job know you won’t be in. I  _ know _ how hard you worked for that position, you can’t just throw it away,” she insisted, and she wasn’t wrong. Of course she wasn’t wrong, it was his goddamn dream job and he was fucking it up.

“It doesn’t matter,” he insisted, because he’d  _ already _ fucked up. It was only a matter of time now, might as well get it over with sooner rather than later. Lup frowned, confusion clear on her face.

“What do you mean?” she asked, and he shrugged.

“It just doesn’t matter, alright?” he tried, and he could see her trying to piece the puzzle together. She must’ve thought she had something, because her eyes widened.

“Wait- shit, bro did you get  _ caught? _ Fuck, I thought you were just pouting over some boy! You gotta tell me if you lost your fucking job!” she said, but Taako had to shake his head.

“No, that’s not- I mean, I haven’t lost it  _ yet.  _ But it’s gonna happen,” he said, because he doubted the prince would want him cooking for him after he fucking turned him down like that. Lup shot him with a glare, grabbing the bowl out of his hands and putting it down on the table before pulling over a chair and sitting down in front of him.

“Okay, you’re my brother and I love you, but we gotta talk about this. What the fuck happened that night?” she pressed, and yeah Taako wasn’t getting out of this. The fact that he’d managed to go this long without discussing it was honestly Lup being pretty damn patient.

“Well, bird boy was there,” he said, and that actually seemed to surprise Lup a little. It was fair, he knew she thought most of his moping was because he didn’t actually get to see the guy again.

“Uhuh,” she nodded, urging him to go on. Taako figured the best thing to do was just rip the bandage off as fast as possible.

“Turns out, Mr. Perfect bird boy prince charming is literally  _ that. _ He’s the prince,” he said. Lup’s eyes widened, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.

“Holy shit, like for real?” she asked, and Taako nodded. “What  _ happened?” _ and he couldn’t blame her for sounding excited. It would be exciting, if it could have actually worked.

“I don’t know, most of the night was fucking perfect, surprise surprise. We talked at the ball and like, he  _ knew _ I wasn’t supposed to be there but was all excited to see me again, and we ended up sneaking out and just going to chill around town. Ate some street food, made some shitty pottery,” he explained, and he really had been trying not to think about it too much. Lup’s excited smile was starting to shift into one of confusion.

“Did you do all that in your masks?” she asked, and Taako shook his head.

“No, we changed when we left the party,” he said.

“And you didn’t recognize each other?” she pressed, sounding a little incredulous. Which was far, but even still Taako groaned, throwing his head back.

“I hide in the kitchen at work all day, okay? I know I’m an asshole and I loved that job too much to risk pissing off the wrong powerful dickhead and losing it! I know what I’m about,” he said, and Lup rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

“What went wrong then?” she asked. Taako shrugged, avoiding eye contact as he explained.

“We started talking about whether or not we could actually be serious, and I kept  _ trying _ to tell him it wouldn’t work, and this was before I even knew he was the prince mind you! But instead of being realistic he started waxing poetics about how he’d never met anyone like me before and he wouldn’t let anyone say shit about social standings, and then he admitted to throwing another ball to get the chance to see me again and  _ that _ was when I figured out he was the prince,” he explained.

It was weird, usually someone going all sickeningly romantic on him and making promises like that would be a turn off. He’d been so genuine though, and there was something real fucking endearing about the fact that he actually  _ meant it. _

“And?” Lup asked, like there was anything else to even say on that.

“And then I bounced! What else was I supposed to d- ow!” he was cut off by Lup smacking him upside the head. “What the fuck? What was that for?” he whined.

“What were you thinking? Why did you  _ leave?” _ she pressed, which made no sense. Leaving was the only option, and he certainly couldn’t ever go  _ back. _

“Did you hear anything I just said?” he asked, and Lup huffed, looking at him like he was the idiot here.

“Yes. I heard you talk about how the guy you have been pining for hopelessly for over a month now had admitted to being head over heels for you, and that he didn’t give a shit about about your grassroots lower class upbringing, to the point of sneaking out and doing cute date things with you!” she snapped. Taako shook his head though, because she didn’t get it.

“Neither of you are being realistic about this! Even if he doesn’t care other people will,” he argued, Lup only continuing to look at him unimpressed.

“Okay, probably, but who’s actually going to make a fuss about it? Especially when, and I believe I’m quoting you when you said the fucking  _ prince _ said he’d ‘never let anyone say shit about social standings’ to you?” Lup pressed. Taako opened his mouth to keep arguing, but his words failed him.

“It’s not- that’s-  _ listen, _ it’s just… more complicated than that,” he tried to insist. He didn’t know a lot about politics, but he wasn’t dumb. He knew the prince taking some nobody would piss off a  _ lot _ of powerful people. It was a stupid decision, and certainly not the kind of risk someone should take for  _ him. _ Not when Kravitz could do so fucking much better.

Lup sighed heavily, running a hand down her face in clear exasperation.

“Okay, but what about your  _ job? _ What are you doing about that?” she asked. He shrugged, because he hadn’t really thought that far ahead yet.

“I just figured I couldn’t go back. Too much of a risk,” he explained.

“What  _ risk? _ That he might see you and try and win you over with more poetry?” Lup asked. He could see her pause after that though, a contemplative frown falling onto her face. “Unless you think he’s the kind of dude to react…  _ badly _ to being rejected,” she added, and Taako quickly shook his head.

“No, that’s not- I don’t think he’s an ass like that,” he said, sighing afterwards. It would certainly be  _ easier _ if he was that kind of dickbag, that way he wouldn’t feel bad about cutting off all ties like this.

“Then I have to ask again, what’s the actual  _ problem _ here?” she argued. It was probably pretty telling when Taako… couldn’t actually come up with an answer. As the silence stretched on, Lup stood up. “I’m not saying you have to do anything about it this second, but just  _ think _ about it, okay? And maybe let yourself be happy for once.”

“I’ll… think about it, alright?” he relented after a moment. Lup seemed satisfied enough with that, and actually let the topic drop for the rest of the day.

And whether he wanted to or not, Taako certainly found himself thinking about it.

Maybe he was being an idiot. Maybe he’d made a huge mistake, but if that was the case was there anything he could even do to fix it now? He didn’t think Kravitz was the kind of person to try and get  _ revenge _ or anything for a rejection, but he might be over the charm of it all after Taako did a disappearing act on him  _ twice. _ He might have already missed his chance.

After having collapsed onto the couch Taako had shoved everything he brought home that night into the closet. He was currently looking through that now, and he wasn’t even really sure why. He just figured it might help him make a decision. Or at the very least, if another opportunity presented itself he wanted to have as many options as possible. He’d already found the vase he’d made, but so far that was it.

“Hey Lup? Did you see where I put my mask when I got home?” he asked as she walked past his room.

“I didn’t see it,” she said, and Taako’s frown deepened at that.

“The fuck did I put-” he started to ask, freezing when the memory hit him. They had both changed before leaving, and Taako hadn’t wanted to carry around a shitty tote bag the whole night, so he’d just shoved it in the corner of the freezer.

He  _ figured _ he’d be back and could pick it up before anyone noticed it. Before one of the other cooks could find it and possibly get word back to the prince that fucking Mongoose Man was part of the kitchen staff.

“Shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I think I'm pretty safe to say we got one more chapter of this left! another Taako POV here cause we gotta get his perspective after being such a dummy. thankfully, Lup. 
> 
> as always, thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

Perhaps it was foolish to be so heartbroken over a man he had known for such a short amount of time, but that didn’t seem to be stopping Kravitz any.

He went back to the palace after Ko had run off, half debating on if he should have given chase. If he should have tried harder to explain the situation. It had been obvious just how  _ scared _ the man had been though, and he hadn’t wanted to make it worse.

Mostly he’d been too devastated to think about running after him, and by the time his brain started working again Ko was long gone.

Kravitz managed to sneak his way back into the palace past the main festivities, the guards who did see him not asking any questions. It wasn’t until he was in his room that he remembered the poorly made bowl still in his hands, and a part of him immediately wanted to shove it away into some corner or cabinet where he wouldn’t have to see or think about it ever again.

Instead he ended up placing it on top of his long dresser. It didn’t match any of the other boxes or trinkets he had there by a long shot, but he didn’t much care about that.

Then he went and collapsed down onto his bed, because it wasn’t a matter of finding the man anymore, or not knowing his face, or any of that.

No, now that the truth was out, it seemed almost certain that he wanted nothing to do with Kravitz.

He spent the next two days mostly holed up in his room, somehow managing to avoid the worst of his mother’s questioning. He supposed she could at least figure out a general idea of how the night had gone for him though, considering his reaction now. Otherwise, they tried to give themselves a few days after big events like that, even if this one had been thrown a bit last minute. Still, Kravitz would take it, and their usual chef had the next few days off, so their meals were a bit simpler than usual. Made the excuse of taking them in his room easier.

On the third day, he knew that his mother  _ would _ start to get on him if he kept this up much longer. Reluctantly he pulled himself out of bed, still a bit later than he usually would, and headed down for breakfast.

His mother wasn’t in the dining room when he arrived, which he supposed made sense given how late he had woken up. One of the waitstaff must’ve been watching for him, because she came out almost as soon as he arrived before he’d even had a chance to sit down.

“Apologies my prince, but meals might not be to our usual standard today. Our head chef did not arrive this morning,” she said, and Kravitz frowned at that. Maybe coming out of his room was a good thing, as loathed as he was to admit it. At least being faced with problems took up some of his brain that was otherwise spent moping.

“That’s quite alright, I’m sure whatever you all deliver will still be delightful,” he quickly assured. Sure, there was a part of him that was certainly disappointed at their talented new chef’s absence, but the last thing he was going to do was take it out on his employees scrambling to fill the absence. “Do we know the cause of his absence?” he still asked, but the waitstaff shook her head.

“I’m afraid not, he simply never showed up this morning,” she said.

“That’s unusual,” Kravitz said, because it was. They had only had this new chef for a few months, yes, but so far he had not missed a day. He was certainly a secretive fellow, Kravitz was pretty sure he’d not even  _ seen _ the man yet, let alone spoken to him, but he was diligent in his work. “Perhaps we should send someone to check on his wellbeing?” he suggested, but the waitress waved away his concern.

“Your mother already has it taken care of, my prince,” she said, and Kravitz let out a small breath of relief at that. It made sense, they both had a desire to take care of their staff, and one who had been so hardworking in their tasks suddenly dropping off like that was cause for concern indeed. Kravitz at least would hate to lose such a talent without even trying to reach out.

“That’s good to hear, thank you,” he said, and he expected that to be the end of the conversation. When the waitress nodded though, she continued on.

“Yes, and on top of the no show there was a rather strange object found in the freezer. When we presented it to the queen she insisted on sending someone to find the cook with haste,” she explained, and that was somewhat concerning.

“What kind of object?” he asked, suddenly worried that they would have to get a new cook for entirely different reasons. He would think of a number of deadly concoctions that could be hidden in a meal by a chef with such a high skill.

“Well, the cooks and I had thought that one of the guests at your latest ball had decided that the  _ freezer _ was the best place to get some privacy, didn’t even connect it to the head chef not showing up. The queen had seemed quite convinced when I showed her the strange little weasel mask though,” she explained, and Kravitz felt his breath catch in his throat.

“A- a weasel?” he managed to ask, and the waitress shrugged slightly.

“Something of the sort. Quite an odd one,” she said, and that- that certainly cemented it. There was a part of him that didn’t want to believe that all this time he had been so close. That if Kravitz had just walked  _ into the kitchen _ he would have found him (he wouldn’t have known though. He hadn’t known the man’s face until their last masquerade).

Then the rest of what this woman said clicked in his head, and that was when the panic started to set in.

“Wait, you said my mother sent someone out already? To uh, to check on the cook?” he asked, trying to at least appear some modicum of in control still. The waitress nodded, and if she noticed his panic she wasn’t saying anything.

“I believe so, she said she wanted it taken care of post haste,” she said, and it wasn’t like Kravitz couldn’t understand why. Considering the way he’d been acting the last few days and the little bits he had told his mother of the situation, he could see how she would want to take it upon herself to fix this.

Except there wasn’t a scenario that existed where this didn’t make it all a thousand times worse.

“How long ago?” he pressed, definitely getting a little frantic now.

“About half an hour ago or so, my lord,” the waitress said, and that was sooner than he expected. It might not be too late to at least do some damage control.

“One more question and then I promise I will be out of your hair,” he said, and she nodded at that. There was still some obvious confusion there, and he would have to find some way to thank this woman profusely later for not asking too many questions.

“You wouldn’t happen to have the chef’s address, would you?”

Less than ten minutes later and Kravitz was on his horse, the address written on a piece of scrap paper in his coat pocket and burned into his mind. It honestly wasn’t far, the horse would not have been necessary if he wasn’t trying to make absolute sure that he got there before whatever guards or messengers or royal preseason his mother had decided to send.

It seemed that by some miracle he managed to actually make it in time. When he pulled up to the rather simple home it looked like nothing eventful had happened here in quite some time, if he was being honest. Kravitz let out a sigh of relief, tying his horse to the fence before making his way up to the door.

It was only once he was standing there, fist held up to the door preparing to knock did he actually stop to think a moment. To hesitate. Ko (or Taako, as the waitress had mentioned when giving him the address) clearly had wanted nothing to do with him when he’d ran off. He certainly wouldn’t be happy to see the prince knocking on his door.

Still, he told himself this was the better option. He loved his mother, he truly did, but sending someone over to request his presence back at the palace would be even worse. He certainly didn’t want him thinking he had anything to do with it, and he needed Taako to know that he did not expect him to be beholden to anything. As hard as he had fallen for the man, he wasn’t going to have him through pressure or force.

So, taking a deep breath to steady himself and get his words in order, Kravitz knocked on the door.

For a slit second he thought that the person who opened the door was Taako. The look of surprise and confusion on their face would have certainly been appropriate, but very quickly he started to take notice of the differences there, despite how similar their faces were. And right, he had mentioned this.

“I uh, I take it you are Taako’s sister?” he asked, and this woman quickly got over her shock and nodded. He could see her taking in his appearance, and he was rather certain she had him clocked for who he was in less than a few seconds. He saw her glance towards the back of the house, and there was that same sharp intelligence in her eyes that was so often in Taako’s.

“Yeah, I am, and I got a pretty good idea of who you are, my fancy dude,” she said. Kravitz chuckled sheepishly at that, not surprised that his suspicion turned out to be right.

“Right, I suppose that ship has sailed,” he said, taking another breath and forcing himself to get back to the point. He didn’t know when his mother’s forces would arrive after all, best he explain before they did. “I uh, I was wondering if he was home? I just- I need to talk to him. I promise, no more than five minutes. I’m not here to take him away or pressure him into changing his mind, I just need to explain,” he tried, prepared to beg if he needed to.

There was an agonizingly long moment where this woman continued to look him over, and Kravitz suddenly had the feeling that this woman could be a queen in her own right if she so desired, with her ability to make others feel judged with nothing more than a glance.

“Yeah, alright, but I’m holding you to that promise on not just snatching him away. I know where you live princey,” she said. Kravitz chuckled, quickly nodding his head.

“Of course, you have my word,” he said, and that seemed to please her. Her grin was sharp, but somehow managed to still be quite kind.

“Alright then, I’ll go grab my bullheaded brother. Maybe you can knock some sense into him,” she said, and Kravitz wasn’t too sure what she meant by that, but he nodded none the less. As she turned to head further back into the house though he stopped her.

“Oh! One last thing, Taako never gave me your name,” he said, realizing that it had been a bit rude of him to have gone through this whole conversation without an introduction.

“It’s Lup, a real pleasure to meet you prince Kravitz,” she said, before moving back through a hallway and out of sight. After a moment he could hear some knocking, and then what sounded like a short, muffled argument. He wouldn’t quite make out the words, and he was fairly certain that was intentional. It wasn’t too much time later though that he could hear footsteps heading back this way.

“Okay, what’s  _ so _ fucking important that it couldn’t wait ten minu-uuuh,  _ oh,” _ Taako said. It was easy to pinpoint the exact moment he caught sight of Kravitz standing in the doorway. He still looked gorgeous, but if Kravitz had to guess from the state of his clothes and hair he probably had spent the last few days in a similar position to Kravitz.

_ “Nope,” _ he said, immediately trying to turn around and run back to his room. Kravitz supposed he should have expected such a reaction, but it still managed to make his heart break all over again.

Before he could get away through Lup was blocking his path, grabbing him by his shoulders and spinning him back around.

“Don’t be rude. He promised he’s not here to spirit you away or anything like that,” she said, and that at least seemed to get him to pause some. Kravitz supposed that was the best he was going to get for a moment to speak up.

“Yes, I promise I am not here to pressure you into anything you don’t want. It is clear that you’ve made your decision and I promise as broken hearted as that decision has left me I will not begrudge you for it. There was just… a bit of a  _ misunderstanding  _ back at the palace, and I needed to come and speak to you before anyone else did,” he said. That seemed to take Taako aback some, and when his sister let go of him he didn’t try to run again.

“I’ll leave you two to hash this out then,” she said, quickly disappearing off into another room. Taako seemed to wait a moment before sighing and walking further into the room, his arms crossed and looking at Kravitz with an expression he couldn’t name.

“Alright then. Uh, come inside I guess? You eaten yet today?” Taako asked. Kravitz shook his head, shutting the door behind him.

“No, I ran here before having breakfast. I wasn’t sure how much time I’d have,” he said. Taako nodded at that, heading to the kitchen and starting to fix up some teas. He pushed a basket of pastries towards him that looked positively divine.

“They’re a little experimental, but better than nothing,” he said. Kravitz didn’t hesitate to take one, and when he bit into a scone experimental was certainly the right word. It wasn’t quite like anything he’d tasted before, but it was still delicious none the less.

“Well, feel free to get ‘experimental’ in the palace kitchen whenever you desire,” he said, getting a nervous smile from Taako as he handed him a mug of tea before heading over to the living room. As they sat down a thought occurred to Kravitz. “Wait, every time I’d complimented the chef in front of you. That was  _ you _ and you never said anything,” he said indignantly, getting a laugh out of Taako.

“Yeah, that was pretty great,” he said, and Kravitz really was taken by his smile. It didn’t last very long, unfortunately. “So, you said you had something to explain?” he asked, and Kravitz nodded.

“Yes, it’s- you left your mask at the palace,” he started with, the man nodding at that.

“Right, realized that this morning,” he muttered. “Where is it now?”

“Some of the other kitchen staff found it. I believe my mother has it now,” he explained, a look of worry immediately crossing Taako’s face. “It’s- I promise, you’re not in any danger. As long as I have any say in it I assure you this won’t even cost you your job, it’s just, well,” Kravitz could feel his face heating up in embarrassment as he brushed some locks out of his face. Sure, he’d made it abundantly clear how he felt about Taako, but for some reason talking about it in this aspect was more embarrassing.

“Well?” Taako pressed, and Kravitz sighed.

“I might have mentioned you once or twice, to my mother. Before I knew of your identity, when I was still trying to think of some way to see you again. After our last… meeting, I suppose I’ve been a bit… reclusive, and when my mother was presented your mask and told that the head chef had not turned into work today, she managed to make the connection quite easily. According to one of the waitstaff she intends to send someone out here to speak with you I suppose. Most likely to invite you back to the palace,” he finished.

It was very hard to read Taako’s expression, he had no idea how he felt about any of this.

“Is that a euphemism for ‘arrest me’ or what?” Taako asked, and Kravitz quickly shook his head.

“No, as I said I promise you’re not in any danger, and I wanted to get here first to let you know under no uncertain terms you are free to turn down this invitation. If it would make you feel safer, I could stay and turn them away once they arrived,” he said, and Taako nodded slowly at that.

“Alright then, if that’s the case, what would the invitation back be for?” he asked, and Kravitz tilted his head to the side a little at that. He had assumed it would have been obvious, but maybe he was wrong.

“Well, I might have waxed poetics once or twice about how not even the gods could compare to how enchanting you are, so I imagine it would be a free and ongoing invitation back as the prince’s partner,” he said. Taako somehow looked surprised at that.

“And the Queen’s doing this knowing who I am?” he asked, and Kravitz nodded.

“Considering she was planning on sending someone to this address, she either knows who you are or the invitation is for your sister. I do believe my mother knows me well enough to avoid making such a mistake in that regard though,” he said, and Taako nodded at that, a small smile tugging at the edges of his lips. It was still so hard to tell what he was thinking though, so finishing off his tea Kravitz stood back up.

“As I said, I have no intention of pressuring you into changing your response. I just wanted to be able to explain before someone else came banging on your door. Now, if you would like I can wait outside and turn away whoever it is my mother is having sent, or I can leave now as well. It’s your choice,” he said, because as much as he wanted to stay he knew every time he managed to make Taako smile or laugh it would be all that harder to turn away.

“Right,” Taako said, some clear hesitance there. Kravitz told himself not to get his hopes up, it’d been pretty obvious up until now what the man wanted after all. “And uh, if I  _ did _ end up changing my mind? What would be the plan then?” he asked, and it was very hard not to let his heart skip a beat at that.

“If- oh, well, in that case, it would still be entirely up to you. I would love to take you back to the palace, that is, either to simply visit or to stay. Your sister would be welcome too of course. Or nothing quite so fast, you could stay here. I could visit you as well, whatever you’re comfortable with,” he said, speaking maybe a bit quicker than needed.

“I think we could probably wait a bit to get into any conversations on who’s staying where, but uh, you busy right now? If you wanted to hang out some I kinda bailed on work today,” he said, and Kravitz couldn’t help but chuckle at that. A thought seemed to come to Taako then and he quickly stood up, heading over to rummage through one of the kitchen cabinets.

“Actually you gotta stay a minute my dude. I uh, I was digging around looking for my mask and- damn it where is it? I found my old fondue fountain,” he said, still looking through the cabinet as Kravitz came up behind him.

“Does this mean you’ve changed your mind?” he asked, wrapping his arms hesitantly around the other man, prepared to pull away the second he showed the slightest sign of discomfort. Instead of that though Taako leaned back into him, pulling down something that really did look like a small  _ fountain. _

“I think this means I was kinda being an idiot before,” he said, a smile clear in his voice. “But uh, yeah. I mean, what could it possibly hurt at this point,” he said, setting the fondue fountain down before twisting around in Kravitz’s arms.

“Would it be alright for me to kiss you then?” he asked.

“Oh,  _ definitely.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i know i said this would be the last chapter but since i am apparently incapable of making a shorter fic that isn't exactly 7 chapters long nine out of ten times there is going to be a very short little epilogue. there was just a small scene or two that i wasn't quite able to fit in here with a good flow about it, so epilogue it is. 
> 
> as always, thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed!


End file.
